Businesses have taken the hit from the incessant flight delays and cancellations across the over 30 airports in the country.
The aviation industry is central to economic development, but there appears to be no end in sight to the menace, reports The Nation.
A report by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) says no fewer than 19,250 passengers were delayed for long hours at airports last year.
Almost half of the 70,543 flights on domestic routes were either delayed or cancelled outright, highlighting the plight of businesses and passengers.
Statistics from the NCAA showed that 33,235 flights, representing 47.1 per cent, experienced flight delays, while 1,189, representing 1.7 per cent, were cancelled.
This means that a total of 34,424 scheduled flights operated by indigenous carriers were either delayed or cancelled in 12 months, putting not a few business schedules, ceremonies, appointments and engagements in jeopardy.
Within the 12 months, about a dozen carriers operated nearly 91 aircraft in their fleet.
The figures included aircraft that went for major maintenance offshore.
A breakdown of the NCAA data showed that Air Peace, the largest carrier, recorded 7,619 delayed flights, representing 22.9 per cent of all delayed flights.
With 333 cancelled flights, Air Peace also accounted for 28 per cent of all flight cancellations.
Arik Air had 5,027 delayed flights, representing 15.1 per cent. It had 215 cancelled flights, representing 18.1 per cent.
Poor infrastructure, rising Jet A1 costs, and inadequate parking space for planes on the apron at the airports are some of the causes of the gale of delays and cancellations.
The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), which is the umbrella body of carriers, also listed inadequate screening and exit points at departure halls, natural and unforeseen circumstances, including weather, bird strikes and regulatory laxity as other reasons.
AON and other aviation industry experts say that proper scheduling to match operators’ fleet size could reduce the high rate of cancelled and delayed flights on domestic routes by airlines.
Chief Executive Officer, Belujane Konzult, Mr. Chris Aligbe, said operations of any airline with only two aircraft should be limited to certain services.
He called on the NCAA to give airlines a template, depending on their operating aircraft, stressing that this would minimise delays and cancellations.
Aligbe wondered why airlines refused to partner with one another despite the clamour for such partnerships. He maintained that none of them could go it alone.
“There is no reason an airline with just two aircraft should not be told the number of routes it can fly by the NCAA.
“For instance, the NCAA can say that if you have two aircraft, you cannot do more than a maximum of five routes,” he said.
The Chief Executive Officer of Centurion Securities, Group Captain John Ojikutu (rtd), while admitting that indigenous carriers need to step up their game, however, said bird strikes and airport infrastructure contribute to delays and cancellations.
He listed insufficient aircraft, low passengers against the capacity of available aircraft, and the serviceability of available aeronautical and navigational aids.
“It does not make sense to increase the number of operating airlines or airlines increasing their fleet when the annual passenger traffic has not increased by at least 10 per cent,” Ojikutu said.
He said, for instance, that in 2000, the projection of passengers for 2020 was 20 million, “but we are in 2025 and the passenger traffic is far below 18 million. Yet, the NCAA keeps giving certification to new airlines.”
A consumer rights advocate, Olu Tosho, said passengers are entitled to compensation and assistance during delays under NCAR 2023 and Article 19 of the Montreal Convention, depending on the circumstances.
He said that for delays exceeding 30 minutes, the airline must inform passengers of the reason.
For delays over two hours, passengers are entitled to refreshments, meals, and access to communication, including phone calls or emails.
If the delay exceeds three hours, the airline must offer rerouting or reimbursement.
“Delays extending past 10pm or airport closure times necessitate hotel accommodation at the airline’s expense.
“In cases where the delay exceeds six hours, passengers can claim 25 per cent of their ticket price as compensation,” Tosho said.
An industry analyst and airline strategist, Mr. Ohunayo Olumide, said the public is getting increasingly aware of the effect of flight cancellations and delays as the regulator releases data on the development.
According to him, flight delays have continued to increase because most of the schedules that the airlines had are still there, despite a reduced fleet.
“This means they need to adjust their schedules. In not adjusting their schedules, they are made to merge flights, thereby delaying flight operations.”
Referencing the poor implementation of commercial agreements among indigenous carriers, Ohunayo said a lot needs to be done to ameliorate the situation.
He said:” We have seen domestic airlines launch codeshare but none has materialised. Till today, we are yet to see some of the airlines pull their passengers on another airline’s flight.”
Ohunayo said the NCAA has a lot on its mandate, urging the Authority to release data weekly or monthly.
He said the NCAA’s strategy of waiting till the end of the year before releasing data on the performance of indigenous carriers on on-time departure and related matters could help to address the causes of the delays and put the airlines on their toes.
Investigations by our correspondent, however, revealed that soaring costs of spare parts and maintenance are forcing many airlines to park their planes at airports nationwide, thereby causing a scarcity of aircraft.
Some carriers are now combining flights to save operating costs.
An affected passenger told our correspondent that an airline plying the Lagos /Abuja/ Kano routes kept him on the ground for some hours before arriving at his final destination.
A few weeks ago, the NCAA advised Air Peace to scale down its route scheduling to match the size of its fleet.
The intervention by the regulator came on the heels of rising passenger complaints over delays and cancellations.
However, Air Peace, in a statement by its management, offered clarifications on the development, saying: “We do not cancel any flight for the fun of it.
“It is not our policy to delay or cancel flights without due cause, and when we do, we are often the greater loser financially.”
In December, the Senate summoned the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo; Director-General of the NCAA, Capt. Chris Najomo; airline operators, and other relevant stakeholders over the incessant flight delays and cancellations.
Senator AbdulFatai Buhari (APC Oyo North), during plenary, raised the issue and charged the Senate Committee on Aviation to unravel the circumstances behind the incessant flight delays and cancellations.
Citing an NCAA report, the Senate noted that over 19,250 passengers were delayed for long hours.
The lawmaker said: “This development is worrisome as air travel is one of the most reliable, dependable, and quicker means of transportation, often undertaken for business/official purposes and to keep other scheduled appointments, which are usually time-bound.”
He cautioned that unwarranted flight delays and cancellations are counterproductive to socio-economic growth and development.
The lawmaker noted that as part of measures to check unethical and unwholesome practices of operators in the aviation sector, the NCAA is statutorily empowered through the enactment of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Act, to among other things, provide oversight and guidelines aimed at ensuring that airlines operate within the contemplation of international standards in Nigeria and to ensure that airline customers get value for services paid for.
Buhari pointed out that the quest for economic diversification and foreign direct investment, which are parts of the current administration’s policy thrust, will remain an illusion if the country’s aviation industry falls short of the acceptable best practices.
